Childhood memories
by May East
Summary: This story represents moments from the chidhood of the O.C. characters  Okita Soushi and Saitou Meyio  in the Shinsengumi headquarter.
1. Chapter 1

Fan fiction

Flashback: Childhood Memoirs

It was a crisp summer morning and the sun was shining joyfully over the crowded streets of Kyoto, and after a busy night everyone in the Shinsengumi Headquarters were resting. The wind was blowing gently making the green leaves rustle lightly under the summer sky. The dense silence, covering the place was undoubtedly appreciated by one of the members, as all were enjoying their well-deserved rest. One was lying on the veranda gazing at a tiny pond with its towering rock splashed with millions of microscopic water drops, making it glitter like a new polished diamond.

Hijikata Toshizo was enchanted by this rare scenery, and set quietly sipping his tea. His eyes closed slowly, after a sleepless night dealing with work he wanted to feel the warm sunbeams touching his skin and hear the sound of nature. Little did he know what was about to emerge in this Zen like scenery of calmness. His dark eyes opened as he lay on his back and stared into the infinity of blue shades that painted the sky marvelously.

The pleasant silence was interrupted by a roar of laughter coming from some soldiers who were just passing .Their radiant faces and wide open smiles made him wonder at what or maybe why were they laughing .He could not notice the tiny pieces of paper that they were holding into their hands and pointing up towards his direction. Their eyes met his and each trace of radiance was cleared away shocked by the vice captain appalling glare. They could feel his evil aura emerging and run away leaving him puzzled, anyhow being left alone, he gave a sigh of relief and sat down to enjoy the scenery.

Suddenly small feathered creatures seemed to dash into the air elegantly, hit by curiosity, he raised his hand to catch one .It was a thin and tiny creature on which black spots seemed to appear all over. "What an interesting work of origami" he wondered. Then struck by a revelation he unfolded the tiny creature, only to discover the an elegant write with thin and confident lines, an write so familiar that made him shiver at the thought of an possible tragedy for his undiscovered and hidden work, was spread all over it. He shook his head to release his negative thoughts and stared at the piece of paper, he could read with ease the following "even if only one plum blossom bloomed, plum blossoms are plum blossoms. Almost unnoticeably, the man's cheeks were covered in a cranberry shade, only to disappear the next second. Hijikata Toshizo was not the man to fool around with and he certainly did not want anyone to mess with his secret collection of haiku "The Hagyoku".

The sound of laughter made him burst with anger and pierced the surroundings. Suddenly his eyes fell upon the silhouettes of two small children folding paper teared out of a notebook with dark brown covers, and turned it into the feathered creatures like the one he was now crushing in his hand .The children stopped their playing and looked down at the fearsome man.

"Okita Soushi! Hajime Meiyo!" cried the man glowing red with anger.

The two children stared into each other's eyes and looked down at the towering man glaring with anger.

"You… evil little brats get down here immediately…how could you …why …who gave permission to enter my room…"

As more and more words the man screamed, the more scared they become. They could not understand why was he so angry about and why was he screaming and calling them out loud. His eyes pierced straight into their tiny hearts and they rolled down in shock with a loud noise.

….Buff….

"Ouch….said the little girl"

Their huge watery eyes met his, the look of innocence and purity was lying on their face while his eyes complexion bursted with anger.

Small Soushi with grass green eyes and rusty hair ,tied up in a ponytail ,bit his lip and stared bravely at the tall men .Teary eyed he struggled with the raising need to explode into tears ,he raised helping the little girl near him. "Men do not cry, "he told to himself, so he grabbed his courage and stared angrily into the man's purple eyes. Pouting he was determined to face the man's glare until the very end because ,as he claimed that is what men do, they don't let themselves bitten even in a staring contest with the notorious demon vice captain.

The small girl, Meiyo ,fixed her loose side ponytail and raised her head proudly .Her almond shaped brown eyes depicted a calm and strong personality, although, scared by the death glare of the vice captain ,encouraged by her companion's determination she joined the staring contest telling herself "women must be strong and I'll be by all means a strong woman".

Hijikata was now finding himself in front of two glaring brats who destroyed his carefully arranged haiku collection and by the looks on their faces they did not hold the smallest grain of remorse. He could not bear the huge amount of tension and roared in anger.

"You little evil brats... How you dare you ruin my haiku carefully written collection. Moreover, how did your dirty little hands reached it while I knew it was in a safe place! You will be punished…I'll make sure you pay for it"

The small children faced each other and grinned.

"Why Hijikata-san? We didn't do anything wrong .We were folding origami and everyone was laughing when they caught them. We made people happy," said Meiyo and Soushi replied with a malicious smile, "It is good to make people happy… neh …Hijikata-san?"

Under the influence of this defiant words the man's purple eyes changed their gaze into a steel cold one and his dark evil aura that had made him so famous around soldiers emerged giving him an eerie look.

"What did you just say?" he said raising his voice with an intimidating look.

The two children swallowed hard and took a step back; nevertheless, they did not change their sharp glare, still defiant, still proud. Deep inside, the famous troublemakers fought with the fear and despair of being punished. It was so easy to run away into the arms of their parents but that was not the path they had chosen, once they decided to do something, they do it until the very end. Now, they had chosen to stand up for themselves and face the vice captain.

"It's just as, Meiyo said we didn't do anything wrong and we...don't... even know about what are you talking...what haiku collection ...since when do you write haiku Hijikata-san?"Said the small boy.

" You little brats …you think I'll buy that? You will be punished...I'll give you a lesson you will never forget...I'll…..and…and not forget…you always do this and after that you put an innocent face and everybody thinks "they are just children" but I know ,only I know the evilness that lies deep in you…" replied the Vice Captain in an avalanche of words.

All this seemed an endless road of words and threats, and the well pointed out theory that depicted their evilness and how they do all the bad things and did not raised the children interest, not even a tiny bit. Suddenly, the echo of the most feared and hated word came to their ears "grounded" .A roar of protest emerged from their tiny figures and the uproar that they were causing was loud enough to wake everybody up. The sound of someone running made the two troublemakers shut up and each run toward opposite directions all in the furious and outraged sight of Hijikata-san.

Meiyo run toward left in the arms of her beloved father, Hajime Saitou, and bared her head into his long white scarf sobbing while her father patted her gently over her head.

Soushi run towards right, straight into the open arms of his father, Okita Souji, and was lifted up in the air giving a scream of joy that seemed to wash away all the tension gained up just a few moments ago. The small boy wrapped his arms around his father neck and then rested his head over his shoulder.

"What's up with all this noise in the morning, didn't you, Hijikata-san told us that we must not make noise in the morning because we will wake everyone up?"said Okita-san in a sarcastic tone" can't you see you are giving a bad example to the children, not to mention a headache" he added giving his characteristic smile.

"Thank you for reminding me Souji but if it was not for these evil brats I wouldn't be screaming!" said Hijikata-san regaining his calmness a little bit.

"Vice Captain here I must disagree with you, Meiyo is not at all evil ,she is a very sweet and caring young lady ,moreover I expected vice captain of Shinsengumi to be more composed and not to lose his temper in front of such innocent children." Said the man dressed in a black kimono holding the little girl who was now glancing at her companion, him too in the arms of his father.

"Innocent...you say. Said the man turning red of anger,...They teared my haiku notebook and folded origami out of every page and not to mention that they must have entered in my room and took it of the drawer I was sure I looked it! They have invaded my privacy and so they must be punished accordingly. We can't have them fooling around in every room, especially in mine."

"Well if the drawer was closed they could not take it now could they Hijikata-san?" pointed out the green-eyed man while smiling at his son, the two of the looked so much alike.

"See so they must have turned everything upside down and then they took it," said the purple-eyed man angrily.

"Vice Captain, please excuse me, but was the use of that they could have taken any book, they needn't have looked everywhere for paper to fold origami, after all they wanted was something to fold origami from" said Saitou-san

"Not you too Saitou…" sighted the man before raising his fists exclaiming "To make me suffer, that is why, they must have known how much I want that notebook hidden and in one piece"

"Oii Hijikata-san why don't you just admit that you unconsciously gave them the book knowing how horrible your haiku are and hoping you will never be forced to see that embarrassing piece of work ever again and be reminded of your failure" said Okita-san

"Souji ...you bastard I would never do that!" screamed Hijikata

"Now, now don't get so nervous is bad for old people "and leaving his son down he looked towards the children and told them

"Old! Who are you calling old!" yelled the Vice Captain beaming with anger

"Vice Captain, please calm down, there is no need to strain yourself. Lately you have been working very much, and even a great man like you can ruin his health by being reckless with himself" said Hajime Saitou, putting his small daughter down and giving her a gentle smile.

"Why don't you to go my room to play until me a Saitou-kun solve things up with Hijikata- san?" said the man ignoring the vice captain's words.

The two children looked at each other and nodded in agreement .They seemed quite content and all the fear had faded away in the comforting presence of their parents.

"Hai ... we will go otosan" said Soushi smiling widely and dashing towards the room

"Good morning Hijikata-san "said Meiyo bowing politely in his direction ,then in the direction of Okita and her father's and dashed to catch up with her friend.

They run and suddenly stopped abruptly "Hijikata-san !", Soushi yelled .When the man turned toward the child direction he met his grass green eyes that blinked once and opened his small fist revealing a tiny golden key ,that was so familiar to him, grinning with satisfaction.

"Have a nice day!"Said the small girl and giving him a serene smile.

It all took just a few second and when he wanted to show that to Okita and Saitou the children were all long gone leaving him with a bitter taste of defeat.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Sweet Taste of Adventure**

The city of Kyoto, located in the middle of the Honshu Island, was a place with extreme contrasts, where the tranquility of the ancient shrines fought the frenzy of the countless hordes of people streaming past the pavements while being bombarded with a bewildering variety of aromas coming out of the many shops.

Young women were stopping abruptly in front of shop windows to gaze with wide-open eyes at the mixing textures and splashing colors of materials dancing in front of their eyes.

Young men were passing by when their eyes fell upon gleaming silver blades of stunning Bizen katanas, done by the best masters, indeed works of art. Their eyes glowed at the thought of ever holding one in their hand, feeling its coldness and the reflections on its surface.

Not far from the chaotic city center lied parks with cool streams and old trees spreading their branches protectively over the crowds of children running everywhere embroided in the sound of chirping birds.

The cool of the morning turned quickly into scorching heat as the sun began to beat down relentlessly over the dusty streets of Kyoto. At the Shinsengumi headquarters, everyone was as busy as a bee: many were training diligently, others were washing consciously and some were sweeping the courtyard while their companions were taking care of other chores.

Roars of innocent laughter echoed around the vast garden. "You'll never catch me "yelled a small girl with long brown hair running around with her almond shaped eyes glowing with joy. Her lavender kimono fitted her perfectly while the dark purple obi tied in a butterfly ribbon surrounded her waist tightly.

A small boy was chasing her .His rusty hair tied in a high ponytail and his bangs framing his face made him look handsome while his sparkling green eyes where giving of the air of a quick tempered and bright child.

Suddenly, seeing the sea of white sheets lying in the sun caressed by the gentle summer breeze waiting to be dried up and the collected by the hardworking members, he stopped. The small girl turned her head towards him and cried "Come on Soushi" before dashing straight into the freshly washed sheets and making them all fall down enveloping her in a tight ghost like attire.

"Meiyo!" said the boy rushing toward the girl peeling of each layer of whiteness. Looking around you could see the vast amount of disaster they had produced, long hours of hard work were now lying on the ground covered in a thin layer of mud and dried dust.

Looking into each other's eyes and confessing to the feeling of guilt, the two children gave a sigh of disappointment, knowing that they will most certainly get grounded. But soon they brushed off imagining how the vice captain of Shinsengumi will react, a thought that filled their minds with satisfaction embodied in a purple eyed man screaming and gouging his eyes out furiously

Nevertheless, what emerged under their eyes was by far more attractive than the funny image of a furious vice captain have ever seen before. A small building, evicted in an old architectural style with peeled off paint, and with a huge thatched roof that seemed to fall down at any moment, appeared out of nowhere. Probably its most distinctive feature was the huge shabby wooden door that sends of a direct invitation towards the curious minds of Soushi and Meiyo.

"What is this? I have never seen it before!"Said Meiyo

An evil, playful smirk was sketched on the boys face and his grass green eyes shrunken naughtily. He turned towards his companion, looked her in the eyes and said bravely "What are we waiting for? Let's check it out!"

The small girl shook her head in disbelief and rose quickly to follow her companion.

"If you say so…but you know Soushi …don't you think we'll get in trouble?"

"Com' on Meiyo you are not scared are you?"Said the boy grinning at her with a superior eye smile.

"Me? Never! What are you waiting for? Move!"

Therefore, the two run until they reached the front door of the strange looking building .Soushi looked at Meiyo, she nodded in agreement, and therefore the boy pushed the large door with all his strength. The door opened with a strange crick, hearing it the small girl run behind, grabbed the boy's shoulders, and hid her small face under his long hair.

"Are you ok?"he asked "Yup..It's just that it is really dark in here" said Meiyo shaking lightly.

"Don't worry you'll get used to it soon "pointed out the small boy taking her hand gently into his and patting her on the head.

"Shall we go now?" asked the boy smiling widely. They started walking slowly along the dark hallways, until they reached something that appeared to be some stairs .With their hearts pounding they took each step down, Meiyo hand squeezed his as they entered a dark dusty room.

They gazed in amazement at the sight of a large hall full with bottles and barrels of different shapes and sizes. They dashed into the full room with childish happiness and grabbed one of the bottles.

"It says "Sake"… I wonder what is that?" Said Meiyo, lifting the bottle and bringing it closer to her nose in order to sniff its aroma.

"It smells like appeals and melons," she whispered softly.

"Sake…sake isn't it that drink that Nagakura-san drinks all the time when he goes out?"asked Soushi

"So you drink it?"

" Yep…that's pretty much all I know …I never tasted any…" replied the boy with a shrug.

"I wonder how does it taste like. Do you think we should try?" murmured the small girl now that all her fear faded away.

"Well…I don't know …,"mumbled Soushi

"You scared?" wondered the little girl and in a moment, she raised the bottle up and took a serious sip. Immediately her chubby cheeks were covered in a cherry red flush and she tripped down on the dusty floor. Soushi starred at her with wide opened eyes. Meiyo was feeling the sweet taste deep in her throat and an uncanny warmth filled her body from head to toes, every cell of her tiny body was enveloped in a pleasant dizziness that concluded with a burning feeling in her stomach, a feeling that just desired more and more.

"It is sweet Soushi!" she exclaimed glancing at him with her glittering almond shaped brown eyes.

Hearing the magical word "sweet" Soushi's mind turned white and grabbed rapidly a bottle, he opened it with a quick move and drank boldly out of it. In an instant, he adored the sweetness of the liquid and the warmth that spread all over his tiny body.

"It's so sweet, now I know why Nakagura-san drinks it all the time!" he exclaimed turning to Meiyo and looking at her with grass green glittering eyes and a smirk under his chubby child cheeks covered in a strawberry redness . He sat down near his companion and took another sip with an extreme boldness. Looking at Soushi how he enjoyed the liquid, she gave a wide smile and lifted the bottle to her mouth and then sipped with sheer joy.

The room filled with roars of laughter just in a few minutes ,however, after a couple of hours, as their long eyelashes felt heavier and heavier, the two small children felt under the effects of sake in a delightful sleep. Hours passed . Everyone in the Shinsengumi headquarters was doing its job with seriousness, the sun hid behind the clouds, rain felt heavily on the dusty alleys of Kyoto . The sun set down and now the town was lighted by delicate paper lamps and many were out admiring the full moon , while other were resting after a busy day waiting for tomorrow to come forth .

In a certain part of Kyoto everyone was running around filled with worry at the thought that the first unit captain' son, Okita Soushi, had gone missing, and so did the third's unit captain daughter, Hajime Meiyo. What everyone feared the most was the thought that one of Shinsengumi many enemies had caught the two children and was going to hurt them. Nevertheless, who would be so crazy to do such a thing, as many knew it was not a pleasant sight to see the captains angry especially when their children were involved. Right now, everyone gathered and started searching around the city. Meanwhile, Soushi and Meiyo were still sleeping peacefully in that old house surrounded by small sake bottles.

"Oii…Toshi … do you think they are ok? Nobody has seen them since this morning and I heard they didn't come for lunch either…I think something really bad has happened …you must go and search for them" a tall, solid man said with a worried face.

"Kondo-san I don't understand what is wrong with you guys. Why don't you understand that they are fine somewhere around." Said a purple-eyed man sipping his tea with elegant moves.

"Toshi! How can you be so cold? They are young and fragile who knows what could have happened to them…everyone have been searching for hours and still they don't have a clue…" said the man known as Kondo-san"

"Trust me Kondo-san they are here, somewhere around the headquarters, I know" said Hijikata-san, the vice captain of Shinsengumi and undoubtedly the major victim of Soushi and Meiyo pranks and mischiefs. "I can feel their presence "he added to himself emitting the famous demon aura that made him feared by everyone in the organization. He enjoyed the tranquility, but as soon as he closed his eyes, the deafening sound of people screaming and running up and down made him to stand up. He gave Kondo-san an ice-cold look and raised his voice "I'll go searching for them too".

Although, he hated the two little brats in the back of his made, he did not want the two of them to get hurt, more for the sake of their parents rather for children's. It was one of his theories that they needed a good scare to settle down and mature, to stop running up and down and more precisely to stop bugging him. The night breeze was cool and comforting. The moon was shining on the velvet sky, sending its cool silver beams over the garden. He was walking slowly asking himself"If I was an evil spoiled brat where would I go". Suddenly a chill run down his spine as he turned around and saw a vast see of pure once white sheets now covered in dust and dried mud.

"How lucky of me "he murmured sarcastically.

As he walked towards the direction of the disaster, he noticed a strange building. "That's the place where we hold the sake bottles, they can't have gotten there." He said to himself and the turned around, but a strange feeling gripped him, it was as if a familiar scent of danger and evilness was surrounding the place. He moved closer to the old house and when his eyes fell upon the large opened door he had an idea of what he was about to discover. He entered the building without any trace of joy or curiosity, as he knew the only feeling he was about to experience was that of sheer anger. The two little brats have made everyone go wild and search frenetically; the thought of them getting away was an insult to his consumed time to get there. He took a deep breath and looked around for the shape of the stairs; as soon as he discovered them he went down to meet the two little children. He stepped into the room, the light coming from the two small windows revealed the bodies of Soushi and Meiyo, sleeping peacefully. The two of them were surrounded by many empty bottles of sake and had no idea about the alarm they have caused.

"Brats … sleep time is over!" he yelled. However, he got no answer, impatient he dashed to the two children and grabbed each one of its kimono collar, none of them opposed , it seemed as if they left themselves carried by him.

"If I catch the one that took them I'll kill him slowly "said Okita-san with his grass green eyes beaming with anger and gripping his sword tightly, and biting his finger nail.

Saitou-san bursted into the room, panting heavily. "Any news yet" he asked. He had just returned from the city hoping that the two children were safe and sound at home, but his thoughts remained nothing but vain hopes. He turned to his wife Seea, but her too didn't not hold any answers.

"I will personally take care of the one who had the guts to take my little children, I'll make sure that he receives a slow and painful death that he will remember even after he leaves this world " she said shaking her fists.

"I bet you guys were worried to death a familiar voice cried. "Hijikata-san slide opened the door and tossed the still sleeping children into the room. Woken up by the sudden move and blinded by the powerful light they rubbed their eyes gently . Soushi tried to stand up but his legs were just to numb to offer him the right support and he fell right back. He opened his eyes slowly and looked around

"Where are we?" he wondered looking at the familiar faces that stared at him with disbelief. Before he even knew what was going on , he found himself in his father's arms wrapped in a tight embrace.

Meiyo raised her head like a spoiled kid to lazy, or more exactly unable to stand up. Her brown sleepy eyes met her mothers and Seea rushed over to help her small daughter stand up ,quickly checking for any wound she grabbed the small girl and hold her into her arms gently patting her head. Meiyo laid her head over her mother' shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Thank God you two are fine, we were worried to death " Seea said.

Not before long, the two troublemakers were asleep in their parents arms.

"So everything is just fine," said Kondo-san breaking the silence as he smiled towards the reunited families.

"Fine!" yelled Hijikata-san "the whole Shinsengumi was after this two brats and all you say is 'fine' , they were in the back yard building drinking sake while our men were wondering Kyoto when they were supposed to be resting, not to mention how they ruined every training and how the teared down all our sheets!"

"Toshi …calm down is not like they did it on purpose, I mean look at them they are so innocent sleeping without worries, we were once just like them…"

"Were not…I didn't do all the things they did" said Hijikata-san furiously.

"You must have been a sad child neh…Hijikata-san?"Replied Okita-san

"Now, now the children are fine so let's all go to sleep " said Kondo-san

"How about the punishment?" asked Hijikata-san reviling his dark demon aura.

"We will leave that for later, now good night Toshi."

The vice captain of Shinsengumi stared as everyone was leaving the room going to the rest."Evil! They are evil! I know it," he whispered to himself giving off the dark aura.

"As expected of Vice Captain …he is so reliable …he even succeeded to find Soushi and Meiyo," said Heisuke smiling at him "you should listen to Kondo-san and go get some sleep; after all you are such a workaholic person." He added waving.

In a few seconds he found himself alone in that room with the bitter taste of defeat."One day you will pay me back you little brats" he said "One day…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Kitchen Party**

It was the first day of September and the sun was spreading his gentle beams lazily over the crowded alleys of Kyoto. The wind was blowing gently and small paper dolls were shaking from side to side, alarmed by the strange strength of the wind that was beating to powerful for their fragile bodies. The town was erupting in a wide range of noises from the merchant's cry to the worried mothers running after their mischievous children. Sometimes the scenery was interrupted by the scream of a drunk-man picking up a fight. Then, a group of young men, dashing towards him to calm things up, appeared ,in their light blue with mountain white patterned uniforms.

Along the wide surface of the park stepping over the glittering wet grass were small boys flying brightly colored kites of different shapes and sizes. During this time, young girls were playing with dolls under the shadows of the ancient trees.

The old temples were filled with an air of deep solemnity, while the monks were praying with all their faith for an abundant harvest, thanking the mighty gods for their kindness and care, by placing offerings such as rice, flowers, fruit and burning thin sticks on incense on the altar.

In a certain part of Kyoto, everyone was running back and forth, dealing with different tasks that required their most precise care. It was close to the lunch -time and many were returning hungry after the long hours of patrolling around the city, dreaming of a bowl of hot noodles and some rice and a cup of hot tea to tire the tension down.

In the kitchen, Sano-san and Heisuke were cooking and their faces barred the expression of some reliable men who took every task seriously, although they sometimes bursted in laughter or smiled with contentment while testing the boiling soup or mixing the deliciously looking stew. Heisuke started chopping vegetables with easiness, the sharp knife did not seem to separate from the surface of the wooden board and you could see small piles of perfectly chopped vegetables gathering around waiting to be tossed and fried rapidly giving off a sweet moth watering smell. Standing in front of a large pan, Harada–san tossed some pieces of thin sliced meat and stared swirling it around while adding a mixture of spices, herbs and some soya sauce, the roasted meat was colored in an attractive brownish shade, and was spreading a fantastic aroma.

After they had finished preparing the food, the two men arranged it delicately into small bowls and seasoned it with pure white rice and a cup of tea, put the food on small wooden tables and left the room, carrying some with them.

Outside, in the large courtyard, watching closely every move that the men made, lied Soushi and Meiyo, giving an evil smirk. The duo has just found a new victim, to be more precise, they had just found a new way to make sure that a certain someone will have a bad day. Soushi eyes were glittering and his shinny rust hair gave him an innocent look, contrasting with the ideas that were roaming around. He was like a tiger waiting to make a jump at the right moment. He bit his lip and focused on the two men. Meiyo was standing closely to her companion, holding the boy's kimono sleeve tightly and breathing slowly, her eyes mind was concentrated fully on the two men's action.

When Harada-san and Heisuke-kun left the kitchen, with cat like moves the two children entered the kitchen, with a dangerous smile on their face, they carefully examinated every trail with food. Meiyo pointed towards one and the boy nodded in agreement. In an instant, he was on the table, and then with a secure move he opened the cupboard and grabbed three small recipients, he passed them to the girl and jumped like a wildcat landing in perfect position. The small girl showed him the way towards the small table. The boy dived his pinky finger into a small bowl.

"Soya sauce…" he said liking his finger "It is quite good but we need to add a little bit of flavor "he added with a playful glare in his grass green eyes.

"Well I guess we should spice things up "saying that she took the bowl and empted it in the waste bin, then she handed the bowl to Soushi, who poured the whole bottle of chilly sauce into it, her big brown eyes were filled with excitement analyzing each move he made. She moved closer to him and touched his arm, in order to draw his attention, she showed him a small recipient that contained a black powder. Gently, she sprinkled it all over the steaming hot meat, in an abundant quantity. Soushi then took the other recipient and poured it over the stew giving it a reddish color. Unable to contain himself, he bursted into a waterfall of laughter and noises. Feeling the approach of someone, the two children rushed outside, and hid behind the trunk of an ancient tree.

Chizuru-chan was walking towards the kitchen side by side with Seea. Soushi pulled Meiyo kimono sleeve and urged her to fallow the two women. The girl agreed and dashed out of the hiding place calling her mother.

"Mama…what are you doing? Can you play with me?"She asked with almond shaped brown eyes and an angelic smile on her chubby child face.

"Sorry Meiyo-chan but right now we have to take the food to Kondo-san and the others," the tall woman said looking into the children's eyes with sorrow.

"Then can I help?" the small girl replied anxiously with a look in her eyes that begged for an agreement. "Please…mommy…" she added in a pitch childish voice.

"Well, I guess you can help …" said Seea wanting to please her daughter and in the same time satisfied that her child was now doing something else than playing all day.

"Meiyo-chan you can help me take the food to Hijikata-san room, I'm sure he would be glad to see you." Said Chizuru-chan.

The small girl smiled from the bottom of her heart and rushed to give Chizuru a hug. When the two entered the kitchen, Meiyo grabbed the small table at which she previously worked with her companion and followed Chizuru.

Hijikata-san was sitting in his room on his desk surrounded by mounts of paperwork waiting to be resolved; his head was full of problems ranging to training routines to the touchy issue of fund raising. His shoulders felt stiff and he was wrapped in a strange feeling of dizziness. He reached for the cup of tea lying on his desk untouched, but before his fingertips could lay the tiniest pressure on the ceramic surface, the cup broke into pieces, and all the light green liquid spilt over the desk. Fortunately, none of the documents was touched but his mind was not attracted to that fact, he could not keep himself from being invaded by a strange premonition. His mind was telling him that this was a bad sing, something terrible was about to come and he will be the one to face the consequences.

The door slide opened, and a small woman entered the room smiling cheerfully. Looking at her warm expression he could not but smile and whispered softly "Chizuru…" His expression changed from an ice cold to one of warmth and shared feelings of love. To his surprise from behind his beloved Chizuru, a small girl appeared carrying his food, beaming with joy innocently. His eyes pierced the small girl in a desperate attempt to figure out what was she doing in his room. Why was she bringing him food? There was no trace of hesitation the girl's face; everything seemed to be as it looked, a small girl wanted to help Chizuru so she took food to him.

"Enjoy your meal Hijikata-san "said Meiyo taking a deep polite bow and giving him a small smile.

He looked at her with suspicion. Maybe he was just too used with knowing them, as some spoiled brats that he forgot that they could still be helpful sometimes. When they left, he took a glance at the steaming food, it looked undoubtedly delicious and tempting, and he moved closer to eat and sniffed it like a caution dog before eating it rapidly.

Soushi was grinning from afar watching closely every move of the Demon Captain. He stared with satisfaction as he waited for the spice flavor to unleash in an abundance of burning feelings and pain. His grass green eyes were following him as a predator follows his prey, not letting any change pass unnoticed. Suddenly the moment he had waited for approached. Hijikata stood up but his feet feel numb, he turned all over the room searching desperately for a cool drink. It felt as if his stomach was on fire and his throat was being stabbed by thousands of sharp knives and his tongue felt sullen and burned. He could almost breathe fire, in pain and enveloped in a strange dizziness he run toward the kitchen. Upon entering, it he rushed to the bucket filled with fresh water and dived his head into it grasping as much water as he could at once, in the hope to ease the raising burning feeling. Behind the trunk of a tree, Soushi was watching the scene, feeling himself enveloped in a strange warmth that tingled him pleasantly, the first feeling of pure pride. This seemed to be the best prank they have ever made, he propped up the tree and spent a moment in confusion wondering whether Hijikata-san deserved it or not. Taking a closer look at the moments, he spent with him, the time he yelled at them and sent them to their room even if they were just playing, the fact that he always glared at them when they laughed a little louder. Suddenly, the boy was faced with a trace of gleam: the man did deserve it. Reaching this resolution, Soushi run toward his room unnoticed by Hijikata-san.

"Well I should go to Meiyo and let her know about our…hmm…let's call it success." He said to himself while running towards the living room.

"What's the rush, Soushi?" asked a familiar voice. He turned around and realized that the man was just a few inches in front of him. He recognized his father green eyes and rust hair, so in order to relies himself from the silence he rushed and wrapped his arms around the man's waist. The man smiled and patted him on the head; slowly he lifted him up and hugged him tightly. Then they stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds. The wind started blowing making a howling noise.

"Did you do something?" asked the man with a smirk and a cheeky look.

The boy's cheeks flushed red as he turned his head, pouting and acting spoiled. The man laughed and took him into the living room where everyone was eating peacefully.

Meiyo was seating near her father munching her meat with a content face and incredible speed. Heisuke and Nagakura-san were loud as ever stealing each other food. Sano-san was eating with slow moves and Kondo-san was laughing at the two men, occasionally trying to calm them down. Chizuru-chan was eating slowly, radiating with joy at the sight of so many people enjoying themselves. Seea was looking curious at her daughter, wondering whether she would be sick or not after eating so fast.

"Something wrong?" asked Okita-san turning towards Soushi.

"No, nothing "the boy said and raised his chopsticks. His moves were graceful and secure, but his heart could not enjoy the sweetness of the meal. "So … this is conscious "he murmured to himself." He shook his head a few times to throw away the feeling of guilt piling inside.

Outside, Hijikata was outraged. The Gods pitted the poor man he encountered as his evil aura was emerging out of its shell. The unlucky soldier was so frightened that he turned pale and started shaking nervously. He tried his best to answer quickly at the vice captain's command without making him even more angry than he already was.

"Who cooked today?" demanded the vice captain with his purple eyes brightened by furry.

"Ha….Harda-san and…Toudo-san…" the man replied taking a step back.

"However, I saw the children playing for a while in the kitchen after they had left" the soldier added quickly in a low tone.

Suddenly, everything made sense for Hijikata-san. The events connected in a crystal clear order. Harada and Heisuke cooked the lunch. They left. The little evil brats entered. They did something. Then Meiyo brought him the food.

Confident about his theory he entered the kitchen and looked carefully around. In a pile of dirty dishes lied three small spice recipients, each one familiar to him, chilly, piper and dried hot pepper. In a moment of revelation, he checked the trash bean where he found the soya sauce. He finally had all the evidence he needed, the two children were the ones who did it without a doubt.

He imagined a week of silence, with nobody running around loudly and disturbing him from his work. He gave a sigh of relief and went straight to the living room. He could hear people laughing and enjoying the break. He reached the door, taking a deep breath he slide opened it and pierced with an ice-cold glare the two small children.

"Hijikata-san you joined us?" asked Chizuru, but the man ignored her and continued to stare at the children.

"You…there is no meaning in hiding it I already know it all. I must say your plan was extraordinary, making everything looking so natural, the recipients tossed in the pile of dirty dishes, the soya sauce in the waste been like an mistaken recipe, you thought of sending it directly to me. I must say that I am impressed you are getting better and better at this, but… Yes, do not look at me with big puppy eyes, there is a big BUT. Someone saw you. The soldier that was sweeping the halls." Said the man with a content smile on his face .He looked down at them, they were now defeated.

"Oi…Toshi, what is wrong with you, what is this speech about?" asked a solid yet gentle man.

"Kondo-san I think the brats can explain it better to you" and turning his glance towards them he added"It is time to confess, don't you think?"

"Excuse me, Vice Captain but I do not seem to understand you words. Is there anything you are aware and we are not?" said a purple haired man puzzled by the current situation.

"Well, Saitou I think I said that the brats will explain." Replied Hijikata-san with a stern look.

The room was covered in thick silence and tension, it was a heavy atmosphere filled with mixed feelings. Everyone was waiting for an explanation. Who would give up first and break the silence. The children left their head down in confusion and fear, 24 pairs of eyes were watching every move they made. Meiyo closed her small palms shaking until her fingertips stung her milky white skin. Soushi held the sleeves of his kimono tightly, his sweaty palms made the material as slippery as an eel. He glanced at his friend, than he raised his head unflinchingly and said out loud.

"I'll say." In addition, he stared into the purple eyes of the vice captain. Everyone was mesmerized by the sudden words.

"You will?"The man asked surprised.

"Yes, I spiced up you food on purpose and then I ran away and watched you from afar, and how I made sure which one was you food it was quite simple, you were the only one who ordered tea, the others wanted sake. BUT, yes, there is a "But", said the boy boldly, I didn't think it would be so unpleasant and I 'm quite sorry about it", he added moving his head a bit to one side."

"In conclusion you must have been misinformed, it was only me the one who did it" concluded the boy, hopping that his friend will be left alone.

The Vice Captain reviled his evil aura hearing the child's defiant words.

"Brave of you Soushi? But I think I'll also ask Meiyo, after all you to seem to share a lot of things in common." Saying that he turned his eyes towards her.

"Ask as much as you want you'll only hear the same words." Said Soushi in a last attempt to spear his companion from the future punishment. "Right… Meiyo? He added with a smile.

The small girl looked deep into the boy's grass green eyes, she felt him encouraging her to follow his version of the events and save herself from what was about to come. She realized that she would have done the same for him, she would have taken the blame and spare him, but he was faster and was able to talk first despite the vice captains glare, and he kept his position bravely not falling due to the rising tension. However, they have done this as a team so if they were going to fall she decided they would fall as a team, so she raised her head and with a determination inherited from her mother, she replied.

"No…it was not him alone, we did it together, I poured pepper and throw away the soya sauce and I also was the one who took you the food, even if I knew it was bad." she concluded.

"So not true …she is just trying to cover it up for me, BUT really there is no need "said the boy staring into her brown eyes.

"But there is …I also have pride and want to share my part of the guilt "she said firmly.

"So I guess everything is clear now, but what I am interested in knowing is way? Why me out of all people why is it always ME!" said the man furiously.

Hearing this words the boy answered calmly "Because you are the one who hates us".

"I hate you? ! Who is the one who just got food poisoned? You or I?

"But you are always yelling at us and sending us in our rooms and when you never answer when we ask you something and you usually ignore us and if something bad happen you always put the blame on us and for other numerous reasons" replied the boy.

"Well that does not change a thing you are still grounded for a month in you rooms" said Okita-san glaring at the two children.

"I agree with Souji on this…one month in your rooms, separated, even if you say Vice Captain is bad with you that still does not give you the right to pull pranks on him." Added Seea standing with her arms crossed and looking coldly at them.

"We understand" the duo replied and lowered their heads with shame.

Hijikata-san smirked superiorly, today they paid him, this month was announcing to be a peaceful one, and yet in a corner of his mind he could not stop but think whether he had been so mean to them, considering how everyone else was getting along so well with the evil brats."Well…maybe...but just maybe I am partly to blame for this situation." he concluded.

Later outside in the late summer breeze, Okita and Seea were watching the leaves rustling.

"You know Seea, I think I just might have an idea with who those kids take after," said Okita with a smile on his handsome face.

"Just an idea, Souji?"Replied Seea turning around and leaving to join Saitou on patrolling, leaving the young man to contemplate on their childhood adventures.


End file.
